Bookshelf Battle

Hey 3.5 Readers,

BQB here and I’ve upped my nerd cred. I’m now the official owner of a Parrot Bebop Drone:

THE PROS:

• When I ordered this, my first reaction was, “You are wasting your money. It’s not going to work. It’s going to fly right off into a tree and you’ll be out $500.”

• But much to my shock, amazement, and delight, this was pretty responsive. It is going to take me awhile to learn the controls, but it does what you ask it to and when you aren’t doing anything with it, it will hover (but not hover away) until you want it to do something.

• Hey by the way, Video Game Rack Fighter has yet to learn that I spent $500 on this so be cool and don’t tell her if you see her on here. Thanks.  Should be ok. Only 3.5 people read this blog anyway.

• It still works and I didn’t crash it.

• This is a piece of tech that makes me feel “the future is here.” Toy helicopters have existed forever.  You push a button.  It goes zip! up in the air then crashes.  You’re out whatever you spent on it. But this thing actually works.

• I actually think this could be the start of a new hobby that gets my butt outdoors, breathing in the fresh air and so on.

THE CONS:

• Low Battery Charge – The battery takes an hour to charge but only comes with approximately 11 minutes of flying time. To Parrot’s credit, they do include 2 batteries, so if you go out with both fully charged, you can get your drone on for about 22 minutes.

• Unfortunately, that means that you aren’t going to be running off for a day trip to the beach, the field, your favorite outdoor quiet spot and get your drone on all day.

• In terms of engineering, I do get it. Some nerd somewhere concluded that in order for this thing to fly and fly well it can only carry X sized battery capable of producing Y amount of flying time. I’d need Dr. Hugo to explain it more, but he and I aren’t on speaking terms right now as we had a falling out when he orchestrated a zombie apocalypse in my home town.

• But I do hope at some point, perhaps if these things become more popular, they’ll come up with a drone with extra battery life.

• Although part of me wonders if the low battery life is a security measure?  It’s ok if you take it for a spin in your backyard, but we don’t want you doing odd, scary things with it far away from your humble abode.

• The hull is made of styrofoam. That seams cheap to me. I suppose there could be an engineering reason. Perhaps that keeps it lighter. Still, I wonder if there was a lighter yet sturdier substance. No one likes paying $500 for something that is partially styrofoam.  I understand that could just be the best possible design available for an emerging technology in the $500 price range.

• The $500 price tag.  Is it worth it? Hmm.  That’s up to you.  I decided to treat myself and since so far it is working out, I feel like it’s going to be something I’ll have fun with for awhile.

• There is a requirement to register it and though common sense should tell you this, be very careful with it. Assume at all times that its going to crash into someone and be vigilant to avoid that.  Keep it away from people.  Don’t assume you’re a hotshot with it and do all kinds of tricks that could injure someone.  Don’t fly it into power lines, or onto other peoples’ property, or onto government CIA alien autopsy black sites or what have you. If you aren’t allowed there, your drone isn’t either. I don’t know.  I could probably go on all day about the things you should not do with it so ultimately keep in mind that these things really are not mere toys and you need to be sure not to injure someone or damage someone’s property.

• Attorney Donnelly’s Obligatory Disclaimer – Don’t take anything I said as legal advice.  Do your own due diligence and research before purchasing and/or operating a drone.

Thanks for reading, 3.5 readers and when I learn more, I’ll have to start posting some flight photos!